Clearing Slimes - why?

[Sandman25]

I see many top players explore all levels in Slime Pits (taking all possible stairs) and I don't understand why. Is the little XP gain worth bad mutations, corroded equipment and chance to die via paralysis? Or are they just bored with crawl?

[WalkerBoh]

I'm curious which top players you see doing this. I've never cleared slime unless I'm looking for dissolution during a tourney.

[dck]

There is no reason to clear any floor of slime or really stay inside in level 6 at all any longer than it takes you to kill trj, grab the rune and the stuff and get out.

[Sandman25]

I am not sure I may list their names here. Two of them are in top 15 at http://crawl.akrasiac.org/scoring/best- ... score.html

[Sandman25]

There is no reason to clear any floor of slime or really stay inside in level 6 at all any longer than it takes you to kill trj, grab the rune and the stuff and get out.

Yes, this is my understanding also hence I decided to create the thread, maybe I am missing something.

[and into]

I try to clear as much around the central area of Slime 6 as possible, and I'll often clear around each of the places where the staircases between floors 6 and 5 dump you on Slime 5 even if that's perhaps on the paranoid side. Limits possibility of ill-timed eyeballs ruining my day when the royal entourage shows up and/or I have to flee. Other than that it is diving + regicide then GTFO though.

[duvessa]

need XP for aesthetically pleasing skills in the morgue

[Sandman25]

need XP for aesthetically pleasing skills in the morgue

But doesn't it decrease chance of winning?

[TheDefiniteArticle]

being Chief of Staff is more important than winning

[Sandman25]

I try to clear as much around the central area of Slime 6 as possible, and I'll often clear around each of the places where the staircases between floors 6 and 5 dump you on Slime 5 even if that's perhaps on the paranoid side. Limits possibility of ill-timed eyeballs ruining my day when the royal entourage shows up and/or I have to flee. Other than that it is diving + regicide then GTFO though.

I usually don't bother with going upstairs from 6th level, I put exclusions on 2 of 3 upstairs and retreat to cleared upstairs if needed. If I think I might need to teleport, I don't enter Slime.

[and into]

I try to clear as much around the central area of Slime 6 as possible, and I'll often clear around each of the places where the staircases between floors 6 and 5 dump you on Slime 5 even if that's perhaps on the paranoid side. Limits possibility of ill-timed eyeballs ruining my day when the royal entourage shows up and/or I have to flee. Other than that it is diving + regicide then GTFO though.

I usually don't bother with going upstairs from 6th level, I put exclusions on 2 of 3 upstairs and retreat to cleared upstairs if needed. If I think I might need to teleport, I don't enter Slime.

It is more for having 3 possible spots to retreat to, rather than teleportation. (I once died to eyeballs that spawned around my only cleared set of stairs as I was retreating, so even if just out of superstition, I try to clear the area around all three staircases on Slime 5 and 6).

[WalkerBoh]

You can't say names? It's not like you're leaking information...

[Baldu3]

During tournaments I generally dont do slime, but if I do, I dive to slime 6, clear slime 6, get boss, rune, loot, get out. I never kill the slime unique in tournaments.

Outside of tournaments I clear vaults/snake/slime completely on all characters since they are my favorite crawl puzzles to solve with mid level characters (except the surround blink snake, the lock stairs/doors warden, and paralyze eyes, I think I like everything in these 3 branches). If my guy has a chance I then also like trying to solve Tomb before entering zot so I'm not engorged with XP.

Basically they are a cross section of almost all the different challenges present in crawl condensed in varied and interesting areas, and have a very large number of fun solutions.

(for the record, I hate corrosion outside of slime, but I dont mind it for slime since I can fully prepare for it)

[Curio]

For me its simple - OCD.

[Sandman25]

I try to clear as much around the central area of Slime 6 as possible, and I'll often clear around each of the places where the staircases between floors 6 and 5 dump you on Slime 5 even if that's perhaps on the paranoid side. Limits possibility of ill-timed eyeballs ruining my day when the royal entourage shows up and/or I have to flee. Other than that it is diving + regicide then GTFO though.

I usually don't bother with going upstairs from 6th level, I put exclusions on 2 of 3 upstairs and retreat to cleared upstairs if needed. If I think I might need to teleport, I don't enter Slime.

It is more for having 3 possible spots to retreat to, rather than teleportation. (I once died to eyeballs that spawned around my only cleared set of stairs as I was retreating, so even if just out of superstition, I try to clear the area around all three staircases on Slime 5 and 6).

I never enter the branch if I don't have stasis. Again, maybe I am too cowardy player but it allows to avoid deaths.

[Sandman25]

You can't say names? It's not like you're leaking information...

No, I can't say the names. Just imagine how would you feel if I created a thread about you doing ... unoptimal things

[WalkerBoh]

I wouldn't care at all?

[Sandman25]

People are different.

[WalkerBoh]

Huh well okay, I was honestly just curious because I've never seem anyone doing it. The only things you get from clearing slime are bad muts, item destruction, and corrosion after all.

[dpeg]

If I have a character who can clear Slime, I generally do it! I like it down there, and xp is plenty.

[Quazifuji]

I mostly cleared slime the first time I did it because I was about half way from level 26 to 27 and Acid blobs give tons of experience.

[Mankeli]

Top players clear slime to have enough exp for necromutation before they enter Zot.

[hannobal]

I recently went down to bottom of Slime by just taking the first staircase.
Then killing of TRJ went bad and i had to retreat upstairs to heal.
However upstrairs was still lot of jellies of all sorts, because i didn't clear it.
So i went upstrairs again, again and again until died at Slime:3.

Based on this it would be good idea to make sure you have a safe escape path back to Lair, at least by partially clearing levels and excluding staircases that don't have a safe path.
Some jellies will generate for sure, but it will be more safe if it's cleared at least once.

[Quazifuji]

Top players clear slime to have enough exp for necromutation before they enter Zot.

Why do you need Necromutation for Zot? I've never used it before, but I thought the main draws of Necromutation were hungerless casting and torment immunity, both of which seem very nice for extended (where corpses are rare and torment is a major threat) but not a big deal for Zot (where there's very little torment and corpses are plentiful). Am I wrong about the benefits of Necromutation, or wrong about what's useful for Zot?

[duvessa]

You're wrong about whether that post was serious or not.

[Mankeli]

^This.

Apologies, I thought it was clear that getting lichform for zot is just as great as dropping your speed, curing and heal wounds potions into lava voluntarily . Except that, unlike with necromutation, there is no exp cost for dropping your potions into lava.

[Magipi]

I'm curious which top players you see doing this.

I spectated Minmay yesterday, and he cleared Slime fully, autoexploring all floors.

[Patashu]

I'm curious which top players you see doing this.

I spectated Minmay yesterday, and he cleared Slime fully, autoexploring all floors.

Keep in mind that this thread was made before the change to corrosion. Now corrosion is temporary, so if you can do slime without getting mutated and without using consumables (not too hard) then it's free exp.

[duvessa]

Well it was always free xp, most people just don't bother.

[XuaXua]

I love taking down slime when I can. I am the worst player, though. I've died to TRJ several times.

[jaega1]

While I am certainly NOT a great player, I love slime. It is the only part of extended that I actually find enjoyable. (I suppose it is technically debatable if slime is part of extended). It is somewhat challenging and the tactics needed are a bit different from the rest of the game.

[Hurkyl]

Today, I cleared slime with a MuWz because I needed all the XP I can get, and both the Abyss and the Vaults were unappealing places to visit. Mutations weren't a worry, and since I could cast a high-powered airstrike, paralysis/confusion is a rather low probability threat. (I did get nailed once by paralysis after using a stair, but the nearby crowd couldn't do too much)

With regards to corrosion, I usually don't have trouble putting together a slime kit of gear that is either corrosion immune (good body armor or artifacts) or is a piece of gear that it doesn't really matter if it gets corroded (e.g. I have three extra pairs of gloves lying around).